Avoid the Traps

Our society is crawling with them.

In school, careers, fitness, relationships, and everywhere else, you’ll find them.

As adolescents, we see school as something we must do if we want to be financially secure and successful.

In young adulthood, we dive into the job that offers the best salary, health insurance, and 401k.

Many decide to tie the knot regardless of how toxic their relationships are because it seems like it’s what they’re supposed to do.

Society has set these standards, and as a result, many people are overworked, underpaid, in debt, divorced, and unhappy. I call them traps.

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A few years ago, I was balls deep in a trap.

I had a job that offered a great salary, great benefits, a pension, and a great schedule. To any outsider, it seemed like the perfect career. There was just one problem: I couldn’t stand working there.

I was surrounded by negative people who talked about one another constantly. No one seemed happy, and going to work was like getting forced to watch a bad soap opera. I knew that there was no possible way I’d be able to last 25 years in that kind of environment.

But the traps were convincing enough to get me to stay for four years.

“Do I really want to give this up? Look at the money I’m leaving on the table. People will call me crazy. Am I crazy?”

These questions ran through my mind for years, even though I couldn’t stand going to work.

I realized that so many others out in the world were having the same thoughts that I was. I then realized that the majority of those people were never going to leave that job. Sadly, they’re going to end up spending 20, 30, 40 years in that kind of environment. That’s a long fuckin’ time to be miserable doing something that takes up most of your life.

But is it worth it? Is it worth going to a place that you hate every day, just to get a good salary and some health insurance in return?

Fuck, that’s not what life’s about to me. And I firmly believe that if more people avoided these kinds of traps, there would be more happy people. But trust me, I understand that there are people out there who hate their jobs but need them to make ends meet. I get it, and I salute you for doing what you need to do. But if you’re unhappy, you can get yourself out of there in time.

You can get yourself out of any situation where you feel stuck.

The point is, these traps are very enticing. They’re set with the intention of drawing you in, and once you’re in, it can become very difficult to get out. You begin to rationalize with yourself to stay because logically, it seems like the right call. To me, it’s important to make your decisions based on more than what seems logical.

Of course, you need to take everything into account and have a thorough understanding of the consequences and repercussions. Whatever it is you want to get out of, don’t just quit based on an emotional response. Have a plan in place, and begin to work on that plan before you decide to leave. But your happiness should be a major factor in the decision you make.

The significance here is to buy into the fact that you are put on this planet for a reason. These traps tend to steer us away from that purpose and what you truly want to accomplish in this world. When we get entangled in all of the nonsense, we lose sight of the mark that we want to leave behind.

We forget about our legacy and the impact we could potentially have in this life.

The deeper we get caught in those webs, the more we forget to travel, learn, read, try new things, take risks, and help other people. Instead, we look for distractions and end up wasting our time on booze and mindless TV shows.

We stop trying to understand people and quickly jump into nonsensical arguments to try to achieve some excitement. Our conversations have no depth, and most of the time, we’re just waiting for our turn to talk, rather than actually listening to someone.

The traps out there can dehumanize us. We become robots, in the same routine, with the same beliefs. Growth is nonexistent, and happiness seems like some fairytale bullshit.

I know people who are caught in several traps, and none of them are truly happy. They pretend to be joyful but are clearly dying on the inside. They may be successful in certain areas but are empty and unfulfilled from the soul-sucking life that they lead.

This doesn’t have to be you anymore. You are beyond capable of making a major transformation. It won’t be easy; nothing worth having is.

But if you are willing to work, willing to get your hands dirty and bust your ass, then you can absolutely have the life that you were intended for. This will include late nights, early mornings, and plenty of sacrifices.

However, if you consistently execute and chip away toward the life you want, you will achieve it. In fact, the pursuit of that life is one of the most enjoyable parts of the journey. If your mindset is right, then you will have more focus then you’ve ever had. You’ll be willing to put in the work, and the work will be rewarding. Just don’t underestimate the work that needs to be done.

The traps might try and convince you that it isn’t worth it. You might even start to justify why you shouldn’t waste your time with this transition. I’m here to tell you that you’re lying to yourself.

You’ve already made it clear that you don’t want to stay in this life that you’re in. It’s time to do what needs to be done.

I also want you to understand that you are not alone. Most people, in fact, have been caught by a trap. No one is immune to them. They’re there, and they’re extremely powerful. If change is what you seek, then I encourage you to recognize the traps that caught you. What is it about your life that you would like to change the most?

Where are you the unhappiest?

When you figure that out, I then want you to ask yourself what your biggest fears are. What do you fear the most about changing? Write down your answers, then figure out how to face those fears, or create a plan to avoid them from occurring.

This is the shit no one ever teaches us, but these are some of the biggest problems we face as human beings.

We don’t know how to get ourselves out, so we convince ourselves to stay in.

The good news is, it isn’t your job that’s holding you back. It isn’t your spouse, your salary, or your lack of education.

It’s you.

It is 110% up to you to change.

If you want it bad enough, then you will. But that’s going to start with a choice.

Choose to change; then, fully commit to it without looking back.

Avoid the traps out there, and if I can help you in any way, please comment below. I’m happy to help.

Thanks for reading.